Dark Heart
by Dauthi
Summary: AU. Isaac is an assassin with special powers, sent on a mission to kill Kraden. Along the way he meets a girl named Mia, who may change his beliefs and lifestyle forever... EPILOGUE UP! May 16
1. About the Ending

Regarding Dark Heart, I have deleted the last two chapters. Why? Because it was plagiarized. Yes, the last chapter I stole from a story I can't remember anymore from a site that I can't find anymore. Although I can tell you it was a Buffy fanfiction site.

At the same time, I hope you can forgive me. I wrote Dark Heart when I was 12. Most of the story is my own. I'm not sure what really came over me in the last chapter; perhaps it was because the plot in Dark Heart was evidently thinning and weak, and I wanted it to end with an explosive bang. It was probably also because I did not want to write the story anymore, so I simply took someone else's. At 12 and 13, morals and taking pride in writing my own work did not mean very much to me. At any rate, I was very in the wrong. I had some other plagiarized stories on as well – they are all deleted now.

I am now 16. One may want to ask, why did it take you so long? It wasn't because I'd left fanfiction and was too lazy to return and delete the stories, because after the plagiarized fact I came back to post more stories, although I have pretty much left fanfiction as of maybe a year and a half ago. It wasn't because I'd forgotten – how could I? It also wasn't because I wanted to wait until I was a dinosaur on fanfiction, and the story mostly forgotten, so I could delete these shameful acts in peace. If that were so I would not be writing this note. I suppose there isn't really a reason I can rationalize, except that the other day I received an e-mail from a fan asking when I would update my Golden Sun story Silence, and I remembered and realized I had to return and try to make amends.

So, to any of you who read this: I am truly, deeply sorry. I betrayed your trust in me unscrupulously. All the same, I hope you can forgive me, and look beyond this when reading my other fanfiction, if you choose to do so. Everything still left on my account is completely and totally mine. And in the future, if the future entails me coming back to write fanfiction again, all work will be all mine. I have nothing to prove that to you except my word, but I hope that this time, you can trust my word.


	2. Angel

Dark Heart  
  
Ooh! I'm gonna try to make an actual series! (After my first miserable attempt with CCS)  
  
Garet: Be happy for her. It's the second time she decided to make a series.  
  
Pairings Isaac/Mia and Garet/Jenna. If you like the story, even if you don't like the couplings, pweese tell me, and if I make another series, it will have most of the couples you want.  
  
Kamui: …This story… does the blond 17-year old have a sword?  
  
Garet: No Kamui. This is Golden Sun. Not X, where you came from.  
  
Actually, that's not such a bad idea. After all, the weapon Isaac used in the game was a sword. The main weapon will still be a gun though. I mean, this is an AU. Heehee… making Isaac an assassin. He fits the role somewhat too.  
  
Garet: Why don't we ask Isaac his opinion?  
  
It doesn't matter Garet. I'm still gonna make the story the way I want it to be. Too bad someone made the idea of a Golden Sun high school first. Kamui?  
  
Kamui: …Yes?  
  
You forgot something…  
  
Kamui: …oh… Tiger Dauthi doesn't own Golden Sun. Besides, she's not sane enough to.  
  
You aren't supposed to say that!  
  
Garet: Too late. ^_^ Go Kamui!  
  
Kamui: …  
  
Garet: *sigh * never mind… Couldn't we've gotten someone that actually talks sometimes?  
  
Kamui: KOTORI!!!!  
  
Garet: Aaaahhh!! That hurt my ears, dammit!  
  
Well, Kamui talked…  
  
Garet: *glares * Alright, but next time I get to pick the muse we take.  
  
Okey dokeys! Hmm… You must be bored of this by now. Go on! Shoo! Go read!  
  
~*~*~  
  
He was an assassin. That was what he was made to be. That was what he would always be. All he could remember in his life was training. Rigorous training, to be the perfect assassin. For a long time, ice had crept across his heart, encasing it. He was an assassin. That was final.  
  
Why? He didn't know the true answer himself. Assassins didn't ask questions. They just took a job, did it, and took the money. All he knew was that he had some kind of special power. He could make earthquakes with his mind. That in itself was special. Saturos, his instructor, told him he had the capacity for much more. After a while, he stopped wondering. Wondering who he was, who he used to be. He was an assassin. That was that.  
  
Next mission. Kill Allen Kraden. This wasn't a paid job. It was a job that was more personal to their cult. Allen Kraden was on the verge of discovering this special power. For this, they had to murder him - immediately. Allen Kraden had top notch security though. And so, for that, they would have to send in the perfect assassin. Him. Trained for every situation, taught not to question, learned to talk near nothing. Name: Isaac. Codename: Perfect Shadow. For that was what he was. A shadow, slipping in, sliding a dagger, shooting a gunshot, slipping out. Always completing the mission. He was perfect.  
  
Right now, Isaac had to go to a place called Golden Sun High. He had to act as a normal high school student for a while. He had to listen to the school. He had to talk. He had to smile. That in itself was already hard enough. To make it worse, he'd been having dreams. Dreams of an angel, standing in the middle of many strewn bodies, just standing, and looking at him with an… expression. Of what, he didn't know. He wasn't trained in emotions. Just to cut them off. They interfered with his job. Do the job, and leave.  
  
Once he completed this one, he'd be able to get out. The job. That was what he focused on. The sooner, the better, the quicker to leave. Two weeks. He had to go to "school" in two weeks as a student who recently moved here. Isaac scowled. He was NOT going to like the experience.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Golden Sun High. It was shown in bright sunny letters, colored golden, with a sun for the o. (AN: Not very original, I know…) Isaac just stared coldly at it. The inanimate object seemed to shrink back a little, even though it was probably only in his mind. That didn't matter though. All that did was that he needed to find a way to kill Allen Kraden, and kill him soon.  
  
The moment he walked in, girls flocked around him. Being the way he was, Isaac didn't know that the way he looked was considered "sexy" and "hot" around here. He wore the mandatory school uniform, but the sleeves were ripped off. A heavy spiked belt went around what Saturos called "jeans." It cleverly disguised a gun holster with a small pistol stuffed in. Black gauntlets with that went up to his elbows fit on his hands. Each knuckle had a mini spike on it. Some of it was actually a secret communicator through which Isaac could report. That, coupled along with his unruly hair, made him the center of attention.  
  
Isaac ignored all of this. When the girls pinched his ass, he thought it was normal behavior for high school students. (AN: Poor stupid Isaac…) They were certainly strange though. He walked over to some of the people, and asked them where the principal's office was. His rusty voice, which still had its sultry touch, and his looks made most of the people, who were girls, faint. One of the boys told him it was down the hall. Another girl tried to offer to take him there. Isaac brushed it off, and just walked in the direction the boy told him.  
  
Finally arriving at the principal's office, he opened the door without knocking. Unfortunately for him, there was another rule to knock on doors first. The principal glanced up and angrily told him that he had an hours worth of detention for that, plus another hour for wearing that "outrageous" clothing. Isaac just stood there, wondering. After the principal finished, he said, "My name is Isaac. I came for my schedule. I'm sorry, but I didn't know the rules. Can you tell me them? And what exactly is detention?"  
  
The principal just stared at him. It wasn't possible for a person to not know what a detention was. Finally being able to open his mouth, the principal just sighed and told him, "If you're the new student, then I'll make you an exception. Here's your schedule. I'll have Garet here show you around." A spiky red-haired boy stood up, grinning. The principal continued, saying, "He isn't the best choice, but he's in your main classes and most of your option ones, and will show you everywhere. Just don't let his thickness rub off on you." The boy's smile had diminished somewhat, but it still remained on his face. Isaac allowed himself to be led out by this boy, but still heard the principal hollering one final thing.  
  
"But next time, don't dress that way! It's inappropriate for school!"  
  
Garet rolled his eyes at that. Then, turning to Isaac, his grin returned full force, and he asked, "What's your class?"  
  
Isaac replied, "English, Room 301."  
  
Garet's grin, if possible, grew wider. "Hey, that's my first class too! Well, duh, I have to be in your class to be able to show it to you, but anyways, let's go!" Isaac just raised his eyebrow, but followed the jumping Garet. On the way there, Garet discussed everything, while Isaac said nothing. Finally reaching the room after three flights of stairs, Garet turned and asked, "You're not much of a conversationalist, are you? Oh well, that was fun! I'll show you to the lunchroom after I get a nice long nap!"  
  
Garet barged into English class, with Isaac walking slowly behind him. Smiling, Garet took his seat. The teacher smiled at Isaac, though rather uneasily, and told the class, " My name is Mr. Pfaff, as all of you know already. We have a new student today. Let's welcome Isaac Sol! Now, Isaac, why don't you introduce yourself?"  
  
Isaac walked in front of the desk, and spoke in his rusty and sultry voice, "My name's Isaac Sol. And you don't need to know anything more about me."  
  
He then just stood there, impassive, even to the winks many girls threw at him. At length, the teacher stammered out, "Umm… That w-was interesting. Now, I'll have to give you a seat."  
  
Scowling, Isaac looked up at the rows and rows of seats. And saw a girl. Not just any girl. A beautiful blue-haired blue-eyed girl. The girl in his dreams. The angel.  
  
~*~*~  
  
First chappy! Yay! Now, I hope I don't run outta ideas… Hmm… a lil' bit of angst should come next chapter according to moi. Of course, half of the time I'm wrong, and one third of the time I'm lying…  
  
I'm also trying to follow most of the Japanese school system, as Golden Sun was made in Japan. Anyways, with Japanese schools, the students don't move, the teachers do. It's only stuff like gym, lunch(I think), drama, etc. that the students move. It's supposed to be more convenient because only a couple of teachers move instead of a huge pack of students, as there are a lot of people in Japan considering how big it is. Don't worry, though, I won't use Japanese words to confuse you.  
  
Oh yeah, and I'm sowwy for it being so short, the next one will be longer! This chapter was just to get the story started. And Mr. Pfaff is my English teacher and my homeroom's room 301, so you could basically say Isaac has my schedule, except you probably don't care…  
  
Kamui: Where's the sword?  
  
It's coming, eventually. You don't actually expect Isaac to bring a sword on his first day of school, do you?!  
  
Kamui: …  
  
Garet: Oh boy… He's gone silent again…  
  
Hmm… Mebbe you're right Garet. I'll get another muse sometime.  
  
Garet: I'm always right.  
  
Sure… Anyways, comments, suggestions, and flames welcome! 


	3. Anguish

Dark Heart  
  
'Lo! You decided to read the second chapter? Thankees very very much!  
  
Garet: I'm in this chapter yet again!  
  
Yeah, we know…  
  
Garet: Who's we?  
  
Kamui: Hhhhhhyyaaaa!!! *takes out wooden sword and chops through steel at inhumane speed *  
  
Garet: O_O Never mind…  
  
Hey! That was my back-up computer!  
  
Kamui: …Sorry…  
  
Oh well… Now, the disclaimer anyone of you?  
  
Kamui: …K… Tiger Dauthi does not own mmpphmphhgg!!  
  
Garet: I do the disclaimer this time buds.  
  
Kamui: *glares, then stalks off *  
  
Garet: Another victory for moi! And Tiger Dauthi doesn't own Golden Sun or mmpphmphhgg.  
  
…  
  
I need someone to keep them in check. But right now… *muffles her ears one second before Kamui blows up Tokyo Tower in dragon form *  
  
I don't have time to get another muse right now. We'll just have to go on to the story.  
  
Garet: Who's da best? Me!  
  
*bonks Garet over the head * Anyways, scroll down and you'll instantly see the story!  
  
  
  
"I'll place you next to Mia. She's the blue-haired blue-eyed girl up there in the last row."  
  
He was going to sit next to HER. This was not possible. Nothing showed through his mask though. He just walked up, and sat on the end. The vision turned and quietly said, "Hello. My name's Mia. Nice to meetcha."  
  
She stuck her hand out. He hesitantly shook her hand, but said nothing. So. She was real. Maybe being able to see real things in dreams was just another one of his unique powers.  
  
Her aura… She had one… Like him. It was blue, radiating serenity and a strange sort of calm. She was special too. The question was, did she know? It didn't matter. He would find out soon enough. Assassins weren't trained only in the field of killing.  
  
Turning his attention back to the class, he found it was very boring. They were still on the Lord of the Flies? (AN: Blech… I'm reading that right now) The school needed a little tune-up. Meanwhile though, he wouldn't be able to do anything, unless he wanted to draw suspicion to himself. And he had to endure four more periods like this before he could find out if anyone knew Allen Kraden during lunch. Oh well. He could start forming plans in his mind.  
  
Right then, though, the teacher decided Isaac could read the first paragraph of the next chapter they were doing as a first day present.  
  
"Isaac? Why don't you start reading?"  
  
He just glared at the teacher. Mr. Pfaff visibly recoiled, then picked another student to read. Isaac then had the entire time to himself, and made plans in his head.  
  
After the bell rang, Isaac had been about to get up, but since the other students weren't moving, he just stayed where he was. The people around him started to make friendly conversation.  
  
An auburn-haired girl smiled politely at him and said, "Hey! I'm Jenna! I'm Garet's girlfriend."  
  
Isaac didn't know what a girlfriend was. But if Garet had one, Isaac wasn't so sure he wanted one. So he just nodded his head at her. Then another finger tapped his shoulder. He turned around and found himself staring at a purple-haired girl. She grinned and said, "Hello! I'm FeiZhi. And this," pushing the shy looking blond boy sitting next to her, "is Ivan."  
  
Isaac nodded his head at them too. Then the History teacher walked in. Class resumed again, leaving Isaac to drift off on his thoughts.  
  
The same happened in the other classes, up to the end of fourth period, when they had their lunch. Immediately the people bolted out the door in a gaggle. Garet and Jenna waved at him, gesturing for him to join them. Isaac walked over silently, and followed them.  
  
Reaching the cafeteria, girls started to hit on him again. This was getting annoying… Looking for a suitable place to sit, he found two empty seats next to Garet and Jenna, and sat down in one of them. As soon as he did though, there was a huge cat fight over who got the remaining seat. Irritably he got up, looking for someone to sit with him before he actually killed someone. Spotting a lone figure standing, he walked over to it. Her, actually. It was Mia. Well, you have to act friendly sometime. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around to face him. Struggling to put emotion into his voice, he asked her, "Would you like to sit with me?" and flung his hand out at the two now empty again seats, oblivious to all the looks the other girls flung at him.  
  
Mia blushed a little at this, but smiled bashfully and said, "Thank you." Finally being able to sit down, Isaac was relieved. It was obvious who was sitting in the empty seats now. Thank god. Sensing Garet smiling slyly at him though, he looked up, while Garet said, "Got a girl already, eh, Isaac?"  
  
Not understanding his meaning at all, Isaac tried to act human, so instead of saying nothing and glaring Garet to a nice crisp, he said nothing and cocked his head to the side confusedly. Garet just shook his head, and then vigorously dug into his food.  
  
Isaac looked down too, but instantly remembered he'd forgotten to bring a lunch. Oh well. He'd gone hungry plenty of times. It was time to start asking about Kraden now. He turned to Mia, and asked her, "Do you know someone named Allen Kraden?"  
  
Garet looked at him in shock and answered, "Hell yeah! I mean, for god's sake, he's the famous alchemist!" Jenna then bonked him on the head and said, "Isaac wasn't asking you, stupid."  
  
Then Mia, after swallowing a bite of her sandwich, replied, "Yeah. He's the guy who's close to unlocking the secrets of a special power. He calls it psyenergy. I'm supposed to have it."  
  
This was good news. They were on the right track. Isaac opened his mouth to ask another question, but paused when Mia gave him half of her sandwich. She smiled shyly and told him, "I thought you might be a little hungry."  
  
Isaac moved his mouth like a fish a little, but finally recovered from the unexpected kindness and took a bite of the sandwich. Devouring it, he replied, "Thanks."  
  
And for the first time since he was six, the corners of Isaac's mouth turned up instead of down.  
  
~*~*~  
  
School... What a horrible name. He was so glad it was over. Now, to find out about Allen Kraden... It was just his luck. They were having a conference in his homeroom about Kraden's "new" discovery of psyenergy.  
  
Right after the teacher left, he got out, mixing himself in the crowd leaving so Garet, Jenna, Ivan, and the others wouldn't be able to find him. As soon as he reached the door, he slipped out of the crowd and went into the shadows, using a special power he'd been required to learn as an assassin. Cloak. He was invisible. No one had noticed that all of sudden he hadn't been there, so they all passed by him, unsuspecting. The best way to kill them. When they don't suspect. Pretty soon everyone had filed out of the room, leaving him alone to wait until Kraden and his colleagues got here.  
  
Except for Mia. She passed by and stiffened, then curiously asked, "What are you doing in the shadows Isaac? And how come I can only see an outline of you?"  
  
Isaac blinked. How had she known? Wait, she said she had the power too... Damn. His plan, it'd been foiled. He would've done better just to hide in the vents. Easy way's not always the best. What Saturos always said when he tried to complete training sessions early using the easy way. Stepping out of the shadows, he reappeared suddenly, and Mia fell back, startled. He walked past her, and she was left in the room confused, until she finally gathered her wits and called out, "Wait! Isaac! Hey, what'd you do back there?"  
  
He ignored her. He'd be found out to be an assassin if his main weakness, his "psyenergy", was revealed. No more lingering here for today.  
  
~*~*~  
  
He was disturbed by his findings at school. The girl, Mia, was real. She had special powers. Kraden was on the verge of discovering the secrets of it. The special power was called psyenergy. She was real. And beautiful.  
  
She also seemed to be the key to something. His closed memories. During the night, as he slept on his bed, he dreamed.  
  
Darkness. Pain. Hatred. They'd attacked in the night. Bandits, planning to raze the village. There was a blinding flash, a blurry red. Voices… he could hear them. Not only the real ones, but the ones in his mind too. Telling him what to do. Controlling him too. Fury… It blasted out of him… Earthquakes rumbled the ground as the blond three-year old stood up and faced the enemies with ice cold eyes. The look of a warrior was in those eyes. And the fury. The fury of a warrior.  
  
No… The boulder… It was falling. A blur, a flash of brown hair. His father… The boulder wasn't falling anymore. It was rolling, flattening, killing… His father was standing in the road now, with no time to run after saving Isaac. Agonized screams lit the air on fire, but none of his father's. His father was silent, a fighter to the last. But Isaac could hear. He could hear the mental screams that tore through everything, the bones snapping, the blood spilling. He couldn't take it anymore. A sudden spire rose out of the ground, past the body of his dead father, to split the boulder in half. The villagers hadn't known what happened. Just that the boulder had been broken… And that the little five-year old kid had been suddenly standing up, blue eyes blazing, yet frozen in ice.  
  
Darkness. Pain. Hatred. Blood… It was everywhere… His mother… Dora… Blood spilled out of her hacked neck, her sliced wrists, her mutilated legs. He screamed. And screamed. Ghosts, ransacking him, cackling, taunting him. The funeral… He cried… Was the last person left standing there. Until a pale blue-skinned man came out… Revealed what he was... His mom's murderer. A gun pointed at the murderer… Knocked out of his hands. The man made him cry once more… Then led him away to be trained… Last time he cried…  
  
Smiling, happy for a good meal, and the fact that he was 6 now. A slap… hissing anger, scolding, cursing. He sent an earthquake again, but it didn't faze the man or woman… They were too strong… He was punished. Taught not to smile. And so he didn't. For a long, long time.  
  
Shooting, target practice. Miss one, get whipped ten times. Red welts across his back, screaming in the dungeon, voices in his mind. He was a prisoner in mind, body, and soul. Screams… More whipping… Taught not to scream. Emotions were bad, noise was bad, he would get whipped for it. A cold assassin with expertise in everything emerged two years later. Now, it wasn't six-year old emotional special Isaac. It was eight-year old emotionless assassin Isaac, with special powers beyond the comprehension of the human mind.  
  
Darkness. Pain. Hatred. What was this? The future? No. It couldn't be. His angel, the girl, Mia, a sword running through her. Quick gunshots, one, two, three. His hands, his shooting. He didn't miss. They died. So had she… Rushing over. Cradling her head. They would pay. By killing them. What he had done. What he had always been doing since six. Die. He didn't kill with his gun anymore. He killed with his heart. And the image… it came again.  
  
The girl… The angel… rose up again and floated once more in front of him. The bodies of the dead men lay all around the same way, same place… It was the same. Same expression, same everything… She'd unlocked them, unlocked everything. More haunting, dark memories ran through him. He writhed on the bed. Good ones came occasionally, but bad ones came faster, and came harder. He screamed.  
  
That night, anyone within a half-mile radius claimed they heard something, an inhuman howl, screaming with anguish, tortured in the deepest pits of Hell.  
  
  
  
Heehee, this assassin stuff sounds really cool. Not too much about it in this chapter though. I'll try to make more next time.  
  
Kamui: A sword...  
  
Oh yeah, and since I've seen a lot of stories that give comments on ppl's reviews, why not? Reviewing your own story so you can tell them something is sort of stupid.  
  
Unica: Err... yeah. Write write write. Happy? I made a second chapter!  
  
Mangazgal: I'm not that bugged about it anymore, an idea of an assassin just popped into my head, and I thought that was really cool. High school stories are really fun to do, though, and really fun to read. Weird stuff always happens during classes...  
  
Helicopter Pilot: Um, you confuse yourself and then say never mind? Kay... Anyways, I'm glad you liked my start.  
  
Gen-Briefs: Monitoring it closely? Eh oh, if you're doing that, I guess I better make really good chapters from now on.  
  
xT-Zealot: I continued it, so don't kill me! Besides, then I wouldn't be able to update anymore.  
  
Nips: I like the idea of killer Isaac too. Okay, I guess I should finally try to find out what Gundam Wing is about, as all my friends talk about how good it was, and I've never seen a single episode, so I have no idea what's going on. What's it about?  
  
WackyD: Yay! You liked my beginning! I don't think you'll be liking the story a couple chapters from now though...  
  
Kamui: THANK YOU. Now that you're done... A sword runs through Isaac's girl too?  
  
Erm… Well, yeah… It's not gonna be like X though! Besides, Kotori gets killed at the END of X. At the beginning, your momma gets run through.  
  
Kamui: Shut up.  
  
Okeydokeys then, Kamui! Byebye! 


	4. Alleviation

Dark Heart  
  
Alleviation  
  
*gasp * You're still here!? Ohmygod, some people might actually like this story!  
  
Kamui: *Looks up at skyscraper size ego *  
  
Hey... It's not THAT high.  
  
Garet: Oh yes it is.  
  
Garet, you do know I can kill you in a very bloody and dramatic way, you know that?  
  
Garet: You can?! Nooooooo!!!!  
  
Exactly.  
  
Garet: *sigh * You win.  
  
Booyah! Hmm… maybe we should move on to the story now!  
  
Kamui: … Tiger Dauthi doesn't own Golden Sun, Camelot do- *takes sword and whaps Garet on the head when he tried to push him out of the way * -es.  
  
Garet: Ooowwww…  
  
Your fault.  
  
Also, about the delay in uploading this chapter, I decided to try revising it well. As you'll see soon, I suck at it. For proof, just press the down key once!  
  
  
  
A pale sheet of living flesh. That was probably how he looked to her, entering the school. Damn… The dreams… They were all too real.  
  
*Stay on the mission. * he reminded himself firmly. He'd met her in the hallway, walking to their room. He knew exactly where the room was, but decided to walk alongside her anyways. It was… pleasurable in a strange sort of way.  
  
Reaching Room 302, they discovered they were early. Hell to it, why not make some conversation with Mia? He started off, an unsure tone in his voice.  
  
"Umm… About yesterday, what exactly did you mean by Psyenergy?"  
  
The second he finished that statement, the air around them seemed to become covered by an uncomfortable blanket.  
  
"Yeah… I said I had it, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Well, I guess you could say I have a sort of special energy, that allows me to control special elements. There are supposed to be four, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, also known as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury. I'm a Mercury adept, one who controls the powers of water."  
  
"Uh huh." Nobody'd ever talked to him this way – just straight out telling the truth without seeming to think about what impression it would make on him. Even Saturos and Menardi had been somewhat careful about what they'd said.  
  
"I guess you could tell I'd be Mercury by my hair color and stuff like that. Allen Kraden says that you should be able to tell if someone's an adept. He said something about an… aura. And that people who use psyenergy can see others using it."  
  
"Erm… yeah." He was talking! Yes!  
  
"Strange, huh? I guess that makes me different."  
  
"Doesn't seem so different to me."  
  
"That's because you probably don't have it. What's different? The fact that I have blue hair? The fact I have psyenergy? That's not much of a difference to some, a lot to others."  
  
"To you is it a difference?" Damn. Was he babbling? God, he hoped not. His training made him rigidly careful with what he said. It was a good thing this was a solo mission.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. What happens is that I feel the same everywhere at the same time that I don't really feel similarity anywhere."  
  
"Having to deal with stuff like that must have been hard." Definitely babbling. Could she tell?  
  
"It's always been hard. But Dad says it got less hard when… when my mother left. She carried on like a banshee every time I showed another difference from what people call "normal." She didn't seem to get the point that my differences were what let her quit working because I was special and so that while I was being paid to be experimented on, she got to do whatever she wanted to do."  
  
"Oh." Wow, was she straightforward. He'd never met anyone that truthful. Of course considering the fact he didn't know very many people, that wasn't so strange.  
  
"Am I wrong, or do I have the impression that you don't like people noticing that you have psyenergy?"  
  
She paused for a long time. "It makes me feel weird," she finally said. "So other. I don't want to be known as the girl who's different. It has nothing to do with who I am – it's just some… some artifact that included in the entire package of me, something I couldn't help."  
  
"Really?" Leaning close to her, he whispered in her ear, "Well, by what you said, that means what I have is psyenergy." Then he leaned back, content to sit down when the teacher entered.  
  
Why'd he tell her? He didn't know. It just seemed… seemed that she could be trusted. But she shouldn't have been. She was probably in contact with Kraden, which meant that she was an enemy. So… why did he? No matter. It was just one more unanswered question added to his enormous stack.  
  
Meanwhile, Mia was still blushing heavily from Isaac's contact with her. What was it with him anyways? He seemed to attract everyone's attention, one way or another… And… He was like her too. Maybe that was what she'd sensed. But he was probably hiding something else too… Why was she so nosy all of a sudden anyways? It wasn't any of her business… Damn. He was just way too hot for his own good.  
  
And that was mostly what ran through their minds for the entire school day.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Mia… She was in danger. He could sense it. Her aura had suddenly turned pale, which meant something was troubling her. He headed in her direction.  
  
On the way there, he wondered why he was even bothering to help her. The fact that she was another special person didn't cut it. And the fact that she was most likely a friend of Kraden definitely didn't help. Normally, he wouldn't do this for anyone. What had gotten into him anyways? Question after question streamed through his mind. And she was the cause of all this...  
  
He narrowly missed falling off the current apartment roof, cursing at his clumsiness, and concentrated once more on the current task.  
  
Jumping off rooftops was not the best time to be thinking about a girl who should be the enemy or unimportant.  
  
Yet his mind strayed to her once more. Angel. The word flitted through his mind, and continued to in a loop, over and over again. Soft sky-blue strands of hair twined and sprawled around her shoulders, clear sparkling blue eyes staring. And she'd looked like so much more. From his dream, the beautiful angel. A pale blue robe had covered her, leaving only her hands, feet, and face visible, milky white in their pallor. It had contrasted against the wings. The wings. Great, billowing, feathery... healing. Healing wounds of the past, great lengths of pain.  
  
It was this which caused him to step off the roof of one building into thin air.  
  
He fell.  
  
Swearing once more, he flipped himself upright and made a random shoot down in the muddy alley below him grow into a vine, which he grabbed and climbed down quickly, relieved that no one had been looking.  
  
A pale cold and warm aura lapped over his, and he knew he was near Mia. He was lucky to fall off so near her. He ran and vaulted over a brick wall, and started jogging, following on a base instinct.  
  
A sudden whimpering alerted him to where she was. Turning the corner, he found himself bumping into a man with a gun in his hand. The brute quickly turned around drunkenly and tried to shoot him, but he'd already gotten his pistol out and fired one shot. That was all it took. The guy was dead.  
  
Blood spurted out of the wound in the guy's head as a bit of mottled gray that was probably some piece of his brain dripped out with it. The smell of sticky blood mingled with the reek of alcohol and the scent of rotten things. White squiggly maggots that had infested the guy's brain crawled out in great masses and died pretty quickly out, and more came, slithering their squishy milk-clear bodies over the dead ones and dieing as fast as the past maggots. They slid down over the bristly stubble on the guy's chin, and over the grotesque throbbing red blots of acne dotting his face. All of the maggots died. And more filed out of the tiny gaping hole in his forehead, a tunnel in the middle of his eyebrows. Flies had already become attracted to his dead flesh, and his messy matted blond hair, almost turned dark brown from dirt, shit, and other things, was becoming a diarrhea red color because of the blood. The clothes were dirty and tattered, stained with grass and weed. A glass shard from the dead man's past lay permanently embedded in his left foot, which had been encased in a coarse smelly shoe, covered with dried blood and mucus. Glassy blank eyes still lay open as blood filled with maggots, dead and alive, trickled over and into the filmy covering of the ice orbs. For a split second, he saw Mia there instead of the brute, same blue eyes, same dead look. It ended, and the guy was there again, ice blue eyes still bloodshot and dilated, almost seemingly red- white with the slide of blood. Her eyes weren't like that. They were softer, clearer. Those eyes... they looked like his. In fact, the asshole who was about to shoot Mia looked like him. Same messy blond hair, same icy blue eyes... minus the maggots. Why was he disturbed though? It wasn't as if he hadn't killed anyone before. But... he hadn't ever seen someone that looked so much like him. In fact, the still figure there could've been an older him, though he doubted he'd have maggot-parasites in his head and that he'd have zits that horrible.  
  
Automatically he inspected the gun still laying in the guy's hands, a result of the years of training he'd had. A Beretta. A piece of shit, especially when compared to his custom made pistol. Good thing it was too. He wasn't sure he wanted to touch the gun, even if it had been better than his. Dried vomit and dull red dry blood stuck to the gun, a result of being used several times before. The trigger was crusted with wiped off yellow snot. He was sure the customary rule of picking up any good guns would've allowed for an exemption for a gun like this.  
  
Placing his gun back into its hidden holster, he lifted his head up and saw Mia, still trembling against the alley wall, though now it was in awe and fear of him, and disgust of the prone human lying in a pool of blood with pieces of white and mottled purple.  
  
"Isaac?" She'd raised her head to look at him. "Y-you-you... Who are you?"  
  
He just turned his head away. Emotions clashed within him once again. Relief. Discomfort. Fear. Who was he? Could he tell her, could he tell her he was assassin? Was he one? He didn't know himself, at least, not anymore. Assassins were trained to kill. Not save. Still... He turned back to tell her he didn't know, but was saved by her shaking her head to her own question.  
  
"Sorry. I'm really sorry. I know it's not my business. I mean, I've only known you since yesterday. It's just that I was scared. I didn't even know what was going on. You understand more about the situation than I do. I shouldn't interfere." Mia turned her head away again.  
  
Another unexplainable emotion rose up in him. All of a sudden he wanted to touch her. To put his hand on her back, or stroke her hair, hug her.  
  
"It's okay," he said. The infested person was pushed to a different room, to be dealt with later. This was more important right now. He wanted to tell her that he liked that she cared about what he would feel even if he wasn't sure why she did. He wanted to tell her she'd given him another emotion. He wanted to tell her he liked the warm fuzzy feeling she was giving him.  
  
All he could think to do was to say, "It's okay." Again, but this time he did put his hand on her back. He could feel the bumps of her spine through her T-shirt. As he ran his hand down her backbone, he was fascinated by that warm, fragile column that kept so much of her going.  
  
She turned her head to look at him again, and he saw that her eyes were wet, her lashes stuck together in dark points. Crying. She was crying. But why?  
  
"Hey," He said, startled and sort of confused, "Everything's okay. Really." But he kept his hand on her back.  
  
"It's not you." She said, her head falling in to her hands once more. "I just, I don't know, feel lost now. I don't know why. Don't pay any attention to me."  
  
He didn't say anything, just continued rubbing her. Now he was starting to get really confused, as he wasn't the best in sentimental situations. Hell, he didn't even really know what crying felt like anymore.  
  
"I'm okay now." She sat up, and he removed his hand before it got caught between her and the wall. She dragged the back of her hand across her eyes. "I must look a wreck."  
  
He thought she looked beautiful. More so than in his dreams and yesterday. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were bright and sparkly with tears, and her mouth looked soft and- wait, what was he thinking? They were just becoming friends right now. Besides, the last thing he needed was another complication to completing his mission.  
  
"You look okay to me." He couldn't stop himself from hooking a strand of her hair back over her ear.  
  
"I'm really mortified." She said. "Just forget this ever happened."  
  
"Okay," he said, not really sure what had happened. "Do you want me to take you home?"  
  
"No." She breathed out. "Actually, my dad's out for the week at a science show with Allen Kraden. I just got chased on the way home, and now I'm lost."  
  
"Oh." Since he didn't know where anyone's house was except for his, he asked her, "Do you want to come to my house then?"  
  
"Really?" Her eyes, they were shining with gratefulness. "I've only known you since yesterday, and you're already helping me so much."  
  
The Perfect Shadow had actually become embarrassed. A blush stained his cheeks and he said uneasily, "Well why not?"  
  
"Thanks. Really." She smiled, and once again Isaac found himself smiling. He picked up her light blue backpack and hoisted it onto his back, nodding his head in the direction of his house.  
  
"C'mon, let's go. It's already 8'o clock."  
  
~*~*~  
  
By the time they reached his house, it was around 8:30, and so he decided to fix himself some dinner. He started to make two sandwiches. Mia, though, had decided to peek into his refrigerator, and seemed shock at what was there. Or, rather, what was not there.  
  
"Do you live by yourself or something?"  
  
Pausing, he lied, "Actually, yes. My parents are gone on a year-round trip this year. I got a place in this apartment two days ago. It was reserved for me." He was going to focus this time. The mission was at stake here. Handing her a peanut-butter sandwich, he sat down and started to eat.  
  
Mia had more to say though. "Huh. Some kind of parents they are. Even if you've only been here for two days, you should have something else in the fridge besides ham, milk, jelly, and mayonnaise. You should also have something out besides bread and peanut butter. Since tomorrow is Saturday, I'm going to take you to the supermarket then. You can't live off this all year."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and started doing his homework. "Do you want to work with me on our homework?"  
  
She scowled at his abrupt change of the subject, but sat down anyways and said, "Sure. Why not?"  
  
It turned out she wasn't that bad at the subjects either, even though he still far surpassed her in everything. Within ten minutes they were done. (AN: I wish I was that fast)  
  
It was as if nothing had happened. When she put her homework in her backpack though, she winced. Concerned, he put his hand on her left arm, getting another reaction. Hmm… It wasn't broken. So that probably meant it was sprained. He told her this, but she just shrugged it off. Suddenly, translucent circles began to rise from the ground and up. She was using psyenergy.  
  
Finally, she finished, and now moved her left arm like it was brand new. He blinked. Now experiencing the feeling of being annoyed, he asked her, "Why didn't you heal at the beginning then? You know that I have psyenergy too, and wouldn't really care."  
  
Sheepishly she replied, "Well, I sort of forgot that I could heal."  
  
He facefaulted, which made Mia giggle. Recovering almost instantly, he told her, "Well, I guess you should go home now."  
  
At that, Mia stopped, and timidly told him, "I still don't know where we are. C-can I stay at your house for tonight?"  
  
Indifferent again, he responded, "Sure. I don't see why not."  
  
Mia grinned, then groaned when she remembered that she had forgotten to bring clothes. He had already assessed this though, and disappeared inside his room, emerging one minute later tossing her a pair of boxer shorts and an extra-extra-large T-shirt.  
  
Another grateful smile lit up her face, and she rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. He stood there confused at the sound of the shower being turned on and a happy sigh of satisfaction.  
  
Collapsing himself onto the couch, he waited for her to finish. And waited. Finally, after nearly forty minutes, she came out, wearing his boxers and T- shirt. He stood and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door and flipping the dial of the shower. Leaning against the wall, he sighed. How could girls take so long in the shower? Five minutes was enough to get yourself clean. Taking that long, he came out of the bathroom wearing the same things Mia was – minus the T-shirt.  
  
Ignoring the fact that her face was as red as a tomato and that her eyes were bulging out, he told her, "You can sleep on my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."  
  
A tiny whoosh of wind passed him by as she sprinted quickly to his room, ruffling his hair a little. Why had she turned red in the first place anyways? It had looked a lot brighter than what his blush had probably looked like. In fact, it was almost as vibrant as the infested guy's bl- no. He shouldn't think of that right now. He really didn't need another nightmare. He settled himself on the couch, never one for sleeping late. Before, at the cult, he'd had to get every bit of sleep he could, or else he wouldn't be able to stay awake when he got woken up at 4:30. His eyelids gently slipped down as he fell into the great void of dreams.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Mia couldn't fall asleep. She kept tossing and turning, thinking about Isaac. God, what had she been thinking when she asked if she could stay over at his house? It didn't help with the fact that the pillow smelled like him. And he'd probably only slept in it for two days! Geez…  
  
She wanted to know more about him. He was just so mysterious, so special, so, so, so… so beautiful. She couldn't deny that. He was beautiful. Not in the sense that he was hot and buff and things like that. He was sexy like hell too, but it was, was, was the depth of his eyes, the clearness of them. Not only that, but it was a start. There was so much more… so much more she wanted to find out, so much more about him, so much more that made him special. He made her feel safe. Safe from everything. While the wind rammed against the window, while the wolves howled in the distance, while the fires burned everything down, as long as he was there, she was safe. Summoning up her courage, she headed out of the room, intent on feeling his protective aura encase her.  
  
Safe, again. That was how she felt. Isaac, though, had been trained to notice people moving around, even if it was dark and he was asleep. His eyes snapped open, and he saw Mia standing there, long hair plastered down her back. What was she doing here? Gently he asked her, "Shouldn't you be sleeping? It is sort of late right now."  
  
She looked sort of embarrassed, but replied, "I wanted to feel safe. And, well, you… you make me feel safe."  
  
He blinked at her, not entirely comprehending the entire situation. She felt safe… with him? Rising up, he shrugged and patting the seat next to him, said, "Okay then. Would you like to sit?"  
  
She tentatively sat down, but then relaxed next to him. Pretty soon she'd fallen asleep, and her head lolled onto his shoulder. Pure powerful instinct made him wrap his arms around her, and he quickly fell asleep soon after too, with his head resting on hers.  
  
That was the way they stayed for the rest of the night.  
  
  
  
Oh gee… That was sappy. No, I really don't have any reason why I did that. The way a story turns out is really screwed up sometimes... And I didn't even put in anything that happens related to Kraden!  
  
Garet: Well, that's because Isaac tries to kill Kraden in the – mpmph!  
  
Kamui: You're not supposed to tell them yet.  
  
Exactly. Also, I'm... sort of sorry for the gory scene in the middle of the chapter. I was probably more descriptive than you guys would've cared for. But, it IS PG-13, and you guys picked to read it. Unless that should've been rated R... Should it? You tell me.  
  
Garet: O_O Eww... Is that how you'd kill me?  
  
Nope. I'd make it even more bloody and gory and disgusting. In fact, then, it might be one of the most gory character bashings ever.  
  
Garet: I really didn't need to know that...  
  
Oh well. You asked for it. Now for the thank yous.  
  
saberhawk2: You do? Thankees!  
  
Drogan: Why'd you think I picked Kamui? Yay! More people are starting to like my story! Thanx! Now that makes eleven... okay, not a lot. Who cares?  
  
Azu: 's kay. That happens to me sometimes. Stupid Windows 98... There's not gonna be too much angst. Least, I don't think so. Anyways, since you just made two chapters(I think) now I'm gonna have to update twice!  
  
Dr. Roses: Yuppees, it's one of my favorite categories too. I still like angst more, but that's okay. You should write some stories in that category too, if you like it so much...  
  
WackyD: I think I answered your question... BUT, if you want to know if still more are gonna die after that, go to the end and read something about Mista Kraden. Otherwise, I don't think any major characters are going to die. Some minor nameless ones might though.  
  
xT-Zealot: You updated your stories too... Damn! Everyone's updated 'cept for me! Wait, this is one... Glad you still like it so far though.  
  
MHZero21XX: Yup, I continued. Sorry if there's barely anything about assassins here though.  
  
Nips: What? Now that's really strange... because I got the gun-shooting/ training thingy from Zoids: Chaotic Century, where an 8-year old Raven points a gun at Prozen only to find out the safety catch was on, so he gets hurt and is taken, and trained eventually to a 14-year old mass killer. Then Raven goes and captures the cyber monster that killed his family, and the thing is called Shadow, and becomes his partner in mass killing. You can see his eyes then, it's scary, they're so blank and silent... And yes, that does mean I get up at 6:00 to watch an anime but still have no idea what Gundam Wing is... Well, now I do, but that's not the point. O_O That was long...  
  
Oh yeah, if you decide to review, please tell me if you want Kraden dead or not. It affects the ending. Now, I need to think of something for my next chapter, a.k.a. get rid of writer's block. Bye! 


	5. Activity

Dark Heart  
  
This chapter probably stinks a lot… Oh well.  
  
Kamui: … No sympathy here…  
  
$&%#! Stupid Kamui…  
  
Garet: Now can we please get someone else?  
  
No. I'll get one at the end of the story as a present for you, K?  
  
Garet: $&%#! Stupid Dauthi…  
  
Shut up, Garet. Unless you want me to make you.  
  
Garet: How come we had to get Kamui for a muse?  
  
Kamui: …  
  
Well, he's hot, I want his eye color, his accent is kewl, he can use a sword, he can become a dragon, he looks really-  
  
Garet: Okayokay! Shut up already!  
  
Kamui: …  
  
Garet: Geez Kamui, do you ever talk at all? I know, I'll make you talk! *takes Kamui's sword and runs away * I'll give it back to you if you talk!  
  
Kamui: $&%#! Stupid Garet…  
  
O_O Well, he talked… Now give it back! *takes sword and gives it back to Kamui *  
  
Garet: Oh my god, he talked… I wanna see him do that again! *takes Kamui's hair gel and runs away * I'll give it back to you if you talk again!  
  
How come I have the feeling this is gonna continue for a while? You can scroll down and read, and if you actually decide to read to the end, you can see the outcome.  
  
  
  
5 AM. Isaac woke up. Gently he unwrapped his arms against the still- sleeping Mia and moved her so she leaned against the couch instead of him. Donning on a T-shirt and those "jeans", accompanied by a weighted training vest, he snatched his special sword as he went outside for some fresh air and some training.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The sword whistled through the air as he brought it down like lightning, slicing a clean cut through the titanium bar. Within seconds he had diced it up into many little pieces. Now all that remained was the cool-down practice. With grace and ease he swung the sword in a horizontal ark immediately followed by a upwards slash. He continued this for five more minutes, before finally stopping his sword practice. Checking his watch, Isaac found it was 8 'o clock. It was time to go in.  
  
He found Mia stumbling around, eyelids shut tight against the light. She fumbled with a glass of water and finally gulped it down, though she spilled a little in the process. Isaac shook his head. She was definitely not a morning person. Finally, she opened her eyes fully and stretched. Turning her head, she saw Isaac shaking his head amusedly at her. Right now though, she didn't care. She wanted to change into some clean clothes. She asked him, "Now can you take me home?"  
  
Isaac sighed, and told her, "I told you already, I don't know where your house is. If you want to, you can give me directions on how you get home from school and I'll get whatever you want for you."  
  
Mia scowled at this, and asked him, "Why can't I come?"  
  
His expression blank once again, he told her, "If you want to, you're welcome to. But are you really gonna wear that outside?"  
  
A blush rose up to her cheeks. She bent her head down and mumbled, "Well, um… no…" Then she rose her head and pouted. "Fine. Here's the key. But you better listen carefully." Telling him the directions, she rose up and walked to the couch, intent on watching TV until Isaac came back with her clothes.  
  
Isaac quickly put on sneakers and exited the house, planning on getting what Mia wanted.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Okay, so maybe he'd expected most of it. But still, how could a person's room be so blue? The wall was colored a sea blue, her bedspread was pale blue, the quilt was a blue with little dolphins on it, the pillow was dark blue, the carpet was sky blue, and so many other things were colored blue too. God…  
  
Leaning down, he picked up a pile of clean clothes already there. Mia had told him that she set out clothes for the next day at the morning of each day. Since she hadn't been there to pick it up, though, it was still there. Also grabbing a blue brush, he left the house, locking the door behind him.  
  
People started giving him weird stares as he walked down the street, and since he didn't want to draw attention onto himself, he sprinted back to his house. Of course, that earned even more stares at someone who could run that fast, but Isaac didn't see any of those after he started sprinting, so everything was pretty much okay. At least, for him.  
  
Arriving back at his house, he handed Mia her keys and her clothes, then settled himself on the couch when she left. After ten minutes she emerged, a cheerful smile on her face. She told him, "We still have to go to the supermarket to make sure you stay alive. And after that, you're gonna come with me when I go shopping!"  
  
Isaac shrugged, and got up to go to the supermarket. She followed him, grinning. Shortly after, they reached the store.  
  
Mia took the lead now. "Let's go, big boy. Get a cart."  
  
Grabbing a cart, he followed her as she stuffed a tomato into a plastic bag, then weighed some more, putting some down for strange reasons and putting the rest into the bag. Then she snatched a couple eggplants, examined them, and put them in the cart. He gagged at this, but Mia just grinned a devilish smile, and said, "You need your nutrients." Isaac quickly straightened his face and asked, "Well what if I don't eat them?" Mia pondered for a little while, then just said, "I'll think of something to make you."  
  
Isaac put a skeptical expression on his face at this, but he kept pace with her and said absolutely nothing for the rest of the time. Once they'd paid and gone outside, she gave her bags to him and said, "C'mon Iz. You can carry all of this." Then she ran down the street. Isaac seethed where he was. The nerve of that girl! Oh well. He lumbered down the street after her at a pretty quick pace.  
  
Mia still reached the house before he did, though. Dropping all the bags down on the floor, he was really steamed. All he did was settle himself on a chair though. It wasn't worth it. Mia was already sorting through the food and putting it neatly in places anyways. Within two minutes she was done. Suddenly she straightened up and smiled lightly.  
  
"Ready to go shopping, Isaac?"  
  
He shrugged. If it was like shopping at the supermarket, the worse that could happen was that he would have to lug around more bags, right? And clothes were usually pretty light, so it couldn't be as bad as the supermarket, right?  
  
~*~*~  
  
He was right. It wasn't as bad as the supermarket. It was much worse.  
  
Mia practically flew around inside the mall. First she ran to Gap, towing Isaac behind her. She picked out five different kinds of tank tops and got a couple shorts. Paying at the cash register, Isaac started following her again. Trotting after her, they entered Dream, and it was there that things got really bad.  
  
Mia flew around, and headed to the dressing room after a little while. Almost as soon as she'd left, girls started to swarm around him. And some were probably at least five years older than him! Isaac groaned. Why, oh why, did Mia have to pick a girl's store, much less a popular girl's store? Then again, why was he even agreeing with her? His instinct and his training told him to run out of the store as fast as he could, and it wasn't often that they both agreed on something, so he blazed a path sprinting out of there. Unfortunately, Mia had just come out, and grabbed him by the collar before he could run. "Where do you think you're going Iz? Besides, I want to go to Kraden's after this. He might be able to help us."  
  
Isaac's ears perked up. Okay then, if he got a clear chance at killing Kraden, then this would be worth it. He nodded his head, and the next thing he knew, he was carrying a stack of clothes that Mia wanted to buy. Paying for them at the cash register, he found himself with three more bags. Mia smiled and skipped happily out of the store, but stopped abruptly and spun around telling him, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot! We need to get you some clothes Isaac!"  
  
Isaac backed off, but then Mia had already bounced off to Fantasy, the male counterpart of Dream. Sighing, Isaac followed her, thoroughly pissed off for the first time in his life. Mia had already picked out a pair of black jeans, two T-shirts, and a blue vest that was supposed to match the jeans by the time he got there, and told him to try them on. Grumbling, he headed into the changing rooms. He didn't actually try them on because he really didn't care what he wore, and headed out again. He found Mia starting to run away from the males though, so he decided to grab her by the collar and whispered into her ear, "Now how do you feel?"  
  
Groaning, she replied, "You win." After saying that, she asked him, "Didja like them?" Nodding his head in affirmation, she told him, "Now you have to pick out two things for yourself." This was getting boring. Turning he picked out a pair of black fingerless training gloves and a belt that only had tiny little spikes. There. That would probably qualify for appropriate clothing with the principal. He walked over and gave the cashier his credit card for the fourth time that day.  
  
Tiredly, he asked, "Are we done now?"  
  
The instant she said yes, he was up and out of the mall, happy that he was alive. He grabbed Mia's hand the second it came out of the door and dashed back to his house. Dropping the bags onto the floor, he went and collapsed on the couch. Mia just stood there dazedly, not quite recovered from being pulled at the speed Isaac had been going. She recovered soon though, and moved the bags to Isaac's room, before heading back and finding Isaac had decided to start on lunch. He was making another sandwich.  
  
Mia flipped the bread out of his hands and said, "Nu-uh. We're gonna eat something nutritious for lunch." She opened the now stocked fridge and grabbed a bag of dumplings. Turning around she asked him, "Do you want them fried or not?" He shrugged. If she wanted to make lunch, she was welcome to. He really didn't care. Mia sighed exasperated. Fine then. She would fry them. Turning, she took a newly bought frying pan and poured oil into it, spreading it around. Placing it on the burner, she turned it on, and started to make fried dumplings. (AN: Okeys, now that was just lame...)  
  
About twenty minutes later she was done and had placed a plate in front of him. Eating one, he went to heaven. Within seconds he'd devoured the plate, while Mia was still finishing her first. She stared at him like he was inhuman, and finally choked out, "I take it the food was good?"  
  
"Spectacular. Awesome. Magnificent." He replied, washing the dish in the sink. Mia shook her head, amused, then finished eating. Rising up, she just stared at him. God, he was beautiful.  
  
Suddenly she found herself leaning forward and kissing him. Impulsively he kissed her back, gripping her waist, while she held her arms around his neck. His moist breath entered her mouth, and he started thrusting his tongue into her, led blindly. A tongue war was fought between them, with him finally letting go and moving down to her neck. His hot breath tickled the hairs on her neck as he bit her hard there, causing a gasp of pain, and then proceeded to lick it tenderly.  
  
She moaned, and gasped out, "Isaac, we have to go to Kraden's soon."  
  
His response was to mumble something that sounded oddly like "Not yet", then catch her lips again. The only noise heard in that room for a while was the sound of lips crushed against each other. Finally Mia ran out of breath, and both pairs of eyes shined with contentment.  
  
Ten minutes later they'd reached Mia's house and dropped off her clothes, and they started heading in Kraden's direction.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Why hello, Mia. And did the handsome boy standing next to you do something to you?" Kraden chuckled, the hickey on her neck not going unnoticed.  
  
Mia, blushing a little, said, "This is Isaac. Oh yeah, and he has psyenergy too."  
  
Instantly Kraden's expression changed from amused to excited. "Really?"  
  
Isaac replied gruffly, "Yes. I'm a Venus Adept. I can make earthquakes."  
  
Kraden seemed a little startled that he knew this, but recovered quickly and ushered them into the lab. *Kill him, now. * Yup, his training had kicked in. It was screaming at him to kill Kraden now, but he didn't. He told himself that Mia would be a witness, even if it couldn't be true if she was dead too. As they stepped down the long corridor, the echoes seemed to make the voices bubbling up in his head stronger.  
  
*Kill. Now.*  
  
Haunting reminders of his past. Time to forget the past, wasn't it? His hand twitched involuntarily, and he almost reached for his gun, but stopped. He was waging an inner war. One side told him to kill Allen Kraden, and Mia if needed to, for that was the only reason he was here, and the other... it wanted him to stop. It remembered. Remembered the soft touch her lips felt like, the soft hairs at the nape of her neck tickling his hands. Wanted him to stop the killing. Even if, when, it was necessary. His head felt like it did when the full tremor of a war hammer did. Shreds of the fabric that was him was being torn into smaller scraps. Within five minutes. That'd been all it took.  
  
*Kill.*  
  
He willed himself to lift his head, to will himself not to. Just to hold on, and hoped he was still who he thought he was when this war was over. Now that he had, he saw that the "lab" was not a lab, but a… sanctum. No, it wasn't a lab at all, as there was absolutely nothing at all like a lab there. There was just a lot of tiny inscriptions on the wall… and a sun in the middle. Sol. Him. The symbol... it seemed like his birthright to go to it. It was drawing him towards it, beckoning him, to come, to stand on the symbol. But he shook it off, and ignored the buzzing in his head. At least it blocked out the voices... for now. He followed Mia and Kraden into the other room affably. Suddenly, over there, it just… changed.  
  
There was a moon in the middle this time. The second he had entered the room, the golden rays of the sun faded into a silver-blue light, and instead of the piercing alertness, a soft blanket of serenity covered everything. Lune. Beauty of the night. The buzz in his head quieted, and he allowed a peaceful calm to come over him. Unconsciously he'd moved to the center of the room, and Kraden and Mia stared in awe.  
  
Isaac had his head leaned back as if he was leaning against an invisible wall, and his expression; it was of utter peace. The silvery light bounced lightly off his unruly bangs, covering most of his face in shadows. Sparkling, sparkling little golden grains of dust and sand rose up to meet him, littering themselves in his hair at the top. His eyes were closed, and his hair swayed as if dancing to a music that only he could hear. His hands were lax at his sides, rocking ever so gently to everything, and nothing. His shirt – it was mostly covered in the shadow, and what wasn't was bathed entirely in the eerie silver-blue. Nothing on his shirt besides the light and shadow was able to be seen. He looked as if he was asleep… and awake. Awake not in body, but in spirit. Angel of Death. He looked as if he could kill any second, but still be leaning serenely right where he was.  
  
Slowly he began to dance. Dance to a music only he could hear, a beckoning only he could know. He began to emerge from the shadows with a sword washed in the silver light, and sliced with it gracefully. A dance. A dance of death. A dance of life. A dance of everything, of nothing, of where alchemy's origins came. Strange and calming, he slashed and turned, the pale beams of the moon were beginning to change. The silver faded into gold, and Isaac stopped finally, standing on the sign of the sun. Sol. His sword rested by his side once more, but this time, he was to be feared, to be expected to lash out and kill all.  
  
~*~*~  
  
No one saw the ghostly figure still in the other room. The part of him he'd left behind when he entered the solace of the moon. The figure watched him, unmoving, blood streaking down the side of his face. The coarse blond hairs on his head and the ice blue eyes all resembled Isaac. It was him, and not him. Twisted white maggots crawled up the other figure's arm.  
  
"You may have killed me in body," It whispered, "But I am part of you. The dark side will take over you. The greatest fear of death is to die without completing the mission, isn't it, Sol? And the greatest joy of life is to die with the task finished. And so I must finish mine."  
  
It raised a translucent Beretta and shot it.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kraden had come to stand in front of him. "Amazing," he whispered. "Mia, this boy you brought seems to be the key to our puzzles. He must have a very special psyenergy, to be able to change like that."  
  
~*~*~  
  
A bullet hit him. Tore through him. It flooded his mind, bound it to his will. The serenity that was his shield was pierced. The voices came back.  
  
They'd stopped, when he'd let himself go. But now, they were coming back. Harder, much harder, much more violently, then before. His other side was now but a trembling paper wall, weakened by the spirit bullet, battered by the thirst for blood. It lost.  
  
*NOW.*  
  
He obeyed.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Isaac's eyes snapped open, and his sword was thrust into the ground, his left hand wrapped around the gun. One shot. That was all it took. The gun glowed. It glowed a dark, dark, green. The bullet flew out, piercing Kraden. It went on to form a hole in the wall.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The figure standing in the other room blinked in horror as it saw that Isaac had torn a hole in the process of hitting Kraden. A hole in the Sanctum. Where spirit and body unite. Which meant... he had torn a hole in the fabric of the illusion that imprisoned him. It screamed a voiceless scream, angry at the fact that it had not contained the boy. The boy they could've bent to their will. And it faded. Hit by the bullet that made a hole that let reality shine through.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Green, blue, yellow, red, white light spilled out everywhere from that tiny tunnel. All cast their rays on Sol. Isaac still stood in the center, his gun poised to fire, his sword sticking partially into the symbol.  
  
And suddenly, all present understood. He was the key. The key to alchemy. The key to everything.  
  
  
  
Blerg… Ouch. That stunk horribly.  
  
Huh? Oh, I forgot the disclaimer! Why do you need one by now anyways?! Go read the last three chapters and maybe you'll figure out who owns Golden Sun! As for the thank yous...  
  
Nips: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I think you're one of the most faithful reviewers I've every known... at least, with my Isaac/Mia stories... As for Isaac making short statements, he usually doesn't talk a lot, ya know? So at least he's making some sort of effort...  
  
xT-Zealot: I started a new story. Two to seven evens out odds a little. Anyways, 1 mark for not killing Kraden.  
  
Serraph: You actually reviewed chappy 1, but that's okay... Okay, you want Kraden dead. And why is it so hard to believe I didn't know what Gundam Wing was until about two weeks ago? Almost all of my friends don't know what anime is! Yes, sad but true...  
  
asdfghjkl;'': I think that this guy is really random about names... oh well. Thanx.  
  
Helicopter Pilot: Yup, he is pretty stupid isn't he? Anyways, I used to read a lot in the CCS section, but now most of it is crappy stories with reviewers who seem to like to read crap. I mean, I wrote a CCS story two years ago, and my writing absolutely sucked like hell then, but I *still* got 41 reviews for it!  
  
Gen-Briefs: ^_^ Interesting thought... I'd prefer Isaac though. Only that might make any girl's boyfriend really jealous... Besides, Isaac and Mia look *much* more kawaii together than me and Isaac ever will!  
  
Rouge-of-Fortune: Hmm.. okay. Two to three. And if you wanna know about Mia... Right now she's happy with me cuz she's with Isaac in this story... Besides, do I look dead or frozen to you?  
  
Unknown: Nearly perfect... ppfft. It's not ever gonna come true. You want perfect? Go read Stephen King or Dragoness.  
  
Drogan: Soda? I want soda! Anyways, what's wrong with putting your name into the story? You're nice! And your quiz was somehow really funny to me... Don't ask me why.  
  
Alayea: Isaac's not exactly the "bad guy" you know. He's more of... both. Anyways, I've decided to rate it PG-13 cuz to me it doesn't exactly seem like R material...  
  
As for anyone who's wondering who won, it's Live Kraden-3, Dead Kraden- ...3... -_-; Ohh boy...  
  
Now, let's see what happened to my muses over there…  
  
Kamui's standing over Garet with his sword in one hand and a watch in the other. Garet has a BIG bump on his head, is sprawled out on the floor, and seems to be mumbling something.  
  
Garet: Yes! I made him do it five times! Owwie, my head hurts…  
  
O_O Well, then, erm, you can wait for the next chapter, or go do something else. *looks around at empty room * Hello? Anyone here? Damn, they all left… 


	6. Agony

Dark Heart  
  
Ladida… Welcome to the worst story in the world! Now, I have no idea why you're here but I do know that you probably didn't come to read it.  
  
Garet: They probably just got lost…  
  
Oh. Well, then, the nearest information center is somewhere. Yes, somewhere around here. Right Kamui?  
  
Kamui: …  
  
Garet: Nooo!!! After all that hard work I did making you talk last time!  
  
Damn, that probably means I was wrong. It isn't somewhere. It's nowhere! Or anywhere...  
  
Yes, I know, I have a very very bad habit of using dots too much. Oh well.  
  
Kamui: And, the day you see the name Tiger Dauthi instead of Camelot on the cover of Golden Sun and Golden Sun 2 will be the day pigs can fly.  
  
Besides, I'd much rather own Blizzard. I love Starcraft, Diablo, and Warcraft!!! Sadly, that's not in my future either...  
  
Garet: Hey! Kamui talked again! Whooppeee!!  
  
Now I need to find a way for this story to end... I wanted to make it less than 10 chapters, but it'll probably be 10 or over. Oh well. More for you to laugh at.  
  
One more thing. You guys are evil! Eeeevil! First, a reviewer says he wants Kraden dead, so that it's Kraden dead-4, Kraden alive-3. THEN, another reviewer says he wants Kraden alive! Augh! But, you'll see if he lives or dies soon.  
  
  
  
Red.  
  
The color of Anger. Of Mars.  
  
Blue.  
  
The color of Calm. Of Mercury.  
  
Yellow.  
  
The color of Purpose. Of Jupiter.(AN: I'm makin' it yellow 'stead of purple in this, alright?)  
  
Green.  
  
The color of Intent. Of Earth.  
  
White.  
  
The color of Heart. Of blissful ignorance.  
  
Black? It is not here... It never was here...  
  
Trapped outside as the sanctuary closed, guarding the Stars and the Light for a very long time.  
  
But, as all powers are connected, it was called. The call drew it here.  
  
The Dark was about to be united with the Stars and the Light.  
  
Isaac Sol, keeper of the Dark, stepped through.  
  
He was about to have a heavy burden lifted off of him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The first thing he felt was pain. Not exactly actual pain... more like the sensation of having his atoms ripped apart. Blue swirls decorated the portal which had opened out of the tiny bullet hole in the wall. Pretty swirls...  
  
And all of a sudden, he was back in reality. The true pain-filled reality. His shoulder hurt, his head felt like it was being hammered with a sledgehammer. The memory that jolted back at him hurt even more.  
  
He'd shot Kraden. He'd shot Kraden. The thought kept circling in his head. He should be happy about it. After all, that was his mission, come and kill Kraden, leave. But it hurt. It hurt terribly.  
  
He was thinking about it so much that he didn't notice his unusual surroundings at first.  
  
He was standing on a huge slab of granite. Sparkles that didn't exactly seem material littered the place. The water sloshing against the granite shone with the same stuff, and seemed bottomless. To his lower-left there was a statue. And to his upper-left. And to his upper-right. And to his lower-right. In fact, the only difference of them was that one was blue, one was green, one was yellow, and one was red.  
  
And the white. Musn't forget the white. At the very front of the cavern there was a softly glowing radiance. It was white, but not like a star at all. It didn't even seem solid. It just... was.  
  
Behind him he could hear Mia tumble through the tunnel, gasping for breath. Instantly he turned around and caught her before she could hit the granite. He gently caressed her hair, but she looked at him with wild eyes, and spoke frantically, "Kraden! Kraden! You shot Kraden! Ohmygod, ohmygod! How could you?"  
  
He flinched, and she took the chance to propel herself out of his arms, and stumbled backwards, only to find herself walking into an old white-haired man. Kraden. He was clenching his right shoulder fiercely with his left hand, but dropped it in complete surprise when he saw what was in the cavern.  
  
"The secrets of Alchemy..." He whispered. "The Stars. And the Light." Frowning, he asked, "Where is the Dark? It should be here too..."  
  
Mia sobbed with tears of relief, and forgot to heal him. Finally, Isaac started getting irritated, at the still-complete surprise on Kraden's face, on the crying of Mia, at the question of how Kraden knew what this was in the first place. He stepped forward to try to get some answers.  
  
Blood. Water. Sol.  
  
He howled. Electricity rose within him, let loose, ran circles. Red slashes cut across him at every possible angle, and his hair whipped around his head. A pale colorless vortex surrounded him and lifted him up, sucking him in. It was trying to draw something from him, but could not. It strained. He cried out. And finally, it ripped from him what it sought. The Dark.  
  
As soon as the thin strand coming from Isaac stopped, the vortex disappeared, and he fell, gasping, onto his knees. The world was becoming blurry, a mass of shifting shapes and colors.  
  
Who was he?  
  
What had he done?  
  
Why was this happening?  
  
The world was becoming dark. Red blood streamed out of every single cut on him. It became pink. Then silver.  
  
Dimly, he recalled something like this once. Ah yes. He remembered being beaten to near death by Saturos once. Which probably meant...  
  
He was dying.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Mia stared in horror. Isaac! Isaac! She just stood there, until she dazedly saw a white-haired figure walk past her and try to help the boy who was slowly falling into the pool of his own blood. It triggered her brain, and she rushed over to help Kraden. Summoning her strongest psyenergy, she cast her healing spell. Over and over again.  
  
It wasn't working.  
  
Blood that continued streaming out of Isaac into silver hues. That'd stopped. But still, still, Isaac was sinking.  
  
Kraden murmured, "I think it's the blood loss he's suffered. But you should've been able to heal that too. So..." It hung in the air, questioning. "Boy, Isaac, that stream that came out of you, was that Dark?"  
  
Mia wanted to scream at him, to yell at him that he was dying and that he should get some peace. But all she did was just sit there.  
  
Isaac cleared his throat, and tried to speak, but ended up gurgling out more blood. Finally, he just weakly nodded his head. He had no idea what the white-haired man said, but it seemed... right, to move his head that direction.  
  
Kraden then said, "Then it must be because the Dark imbued itself into Isaac over the years. It became part of him. Part of his essence. And when it was ripped out, his essence was too... He can't live. Not anymore."  
  
Numbly she twined her fingers in Isaac's own, and just sat there, staring blankly ahead. Finally the strained breaths of Isaac brought her back, and she bent over and quietly kissed him, ignoring the blood around him.  
  
Isaac gave one last struggling gasp of air, and then his seemingly tired eyes rolled up into his head. Some tiny part of him still registered the gentle kiss, wrapped with warmth and love, before flying up with the rest of his barely intact soul, up, up, through the ceiling, and into the sky.  
  
Isaac Sol Shi Shiki.  
  
His Moment of Death.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Mia cried endlessly, staring at Isaac, no, Isaac's corpse. He wasn't alive anymore.  
  
Why?  
  
Why was he dead?  
  
Oh sure, he was annoying at times, and his seemingly near-perfect aim with the gun was really terrifying, but still, he didn't deserve to die, because, because, because... he was Isaac.  
  
Sniffling, she cried out at the ceiling of the cavern. Kraden had gone fish- mouth once again, but she didn't notice. The cavern had begun to glow white, but she didn't notice. She just saw Isaac's corpse.  
  
That is, until she started rising up too.  
  
~*~*~  
  
He was standing before a gate.  
  
A large gate that seemed made from white pearl.  
  
Isaac craned his neck to look at the giant doors. They were impossibly large, too large to even exist. Something like this should collapse beneath its own weight and could certainly never be moved or opened. Yet it was real. Or as real as anything was here in this place.  
  
"Are we going to knock?" He asked one of the passing souls.  
  
"I believe there is no need to." It answered, indicating somewhere to the side.  
  
Isaac looked up, at least he thought it was up, and saw several winged shapes come toward them. They actually did appear to travel in a straight line and come closer at a normal rate. Was this any indication that he was getting more used to this plain or were they getting closer to an actually real place again?  
  
With something akin to a thud one of the angels set down in front of her. It looked like a man, yet not. It wasn't just the large, feathery wings that folded together on his back. Nor was it his sheer size, he was easily a head taller than him, and built like a tank to boot.  
  
It was the eyes, Isaac realized. They were empty. Completely, unbelievably empty.  
  
"Assassin!" The angel hissed.  
  
"More or less." Isaac replied smugly. Okay, so he was standing in front of the gates of Heaven. So what? He wasn't the vulnerable boy he appeared to be. He was a specially trained assassin and had psyenergy. He'd seen the inside of a real Sanctum, had killed presidents, leaders a dozen times over. Been kissed by an angel. He wouldn't allow himself to be intimidated by a big guy with wings and empty eyes.  
  
Not much anyway.  
  
"You have no place here!" His opposite growled.  
  
"I guess not. But I don't wanna go to Hell. Not yet, at any rate."  
  
"What do you want?" The angel asked after studying him for a timeless eternity.  
  
"I want to talk to you. About what is happening, who I am, and *why* this thing happened."  
  
Again the angel studied him, his empty eyes seeming to look right through him skin and into every single blood vessel and cell. Or at least, spiritual blood vessel and cell. Isaac didn't fidget under his gaze, though. He had trained against a robot bigger than the Chrysler building once. This was small change in comparison.  
  
"Very well. You did make the hole that's letting out souls, after all." The angel said finally. "Michael wants to talk to you."  
  
He didn't ask him how he knew that, figuring that angels probably had some kind of telepathy thing going between them. He simply marked that fact down for future reference, if he'd have one, and fell into step with the angel as he strode toward the gate.  
  
Interesting thing about a place with no true physical dimensions, he noticed. He had no problem keeping stride with a guy at least three feet taller than he was.  
  
"Do you have a name, too?" He asked him.  
  
"Uriel!" He was spared further comment as the gates drew open in front of them and Isaac got his first glimpse of Heaven.  
  
He was taken aback.  
  
Stories always described Heaven as a place of fluffy clouds, smiling angels in white togas flying through the air with harps and singing Hallelujah. No shadows or worry to be found, everything white and peachy.  
  
This was not the place from the stories.  
  
Uriel led him along a broad promenade of white-veined black marble and everything around them was sharp-edged, glistening steel, gleaming harshly in the glare of three suns up in the sky. The completely cloudless sky, Isaac added disappointedly. How could there be no clouds in Heaven?  
  
He saw angels, lots of them, though none of them wore togas or carried harps. Most of them didn't smile, either, and those few that did looked like they were thinking of inflicting torture and waging combat instead of singing happy songs in eternal bliss. They filled the sky above her, swords and armor sparkling in the searing light like so many stars, harsh war songs reaching Isaac's ears.  
  
Isaac didn't like Heaven.  
  
He could still see a large building in the distance. It was by far the largest structure Isaac could see. Seemingly built from nothing but black glass it towered into the spotless sky like a needle piercing the heavens. Something was moving behind the glass, she could just make out the motion. Something that churned and rippled, almost as if it was alive.  
  
"That is the Repository."  
  
They walked closer, their unhurried steps bridging distances that had seemed insurmountable a second ago. The black glass tower grew quickly and, though it did not cast a shadow in the glare of the three suns, Isaac felt cold.  
  
"Repository? Repository of what?"  
  
"Souls, Assassin." The angel said. "This is where Heaven imprisons all the souls that come here."  
  
The hell? Heaven was supposed to be a good place! It wasn't supposed to imprison souls!  
  
Uriel stopped, causing Isaac to start. They had arrived in front of another large door, though not nearly as impossibly huge as the first one. Two guards with flaming swords stood in front of it, but stepped aside before Uriel.  
  
"Present your case, assassin!" He thundered at him as the door swung open. "You have the attention of the First Host."  
  
With thoughts of imprisoned souls still swirling through her head Isaac found himself facing half a dozen grim figures with large, feathery wings, all of whom endowed with those same empty eyes and staring at him as if he was something very unappetizing.  
  
"Here goes nothing." He murmured to herself and walked toward them.  
  
~*~*~  
  
EMERGENCY NEWSFLASH: Sensor arrays in the United States, Europe, and at least six other countries have registered a dimensional disturbance of magnitude twelve. There are numerous reports of time distortions and spatial anomalies all over the globe. All citizens are advised to stay in their homes until the crisis has passed. Repeat, all citizens please stay in your homes until this crisis has passed. We will keep you up to date on developments as they occur.  
  
GLONNO, October 18, 2003  
  
~*~*~  
  
Michael rose from his chair as they entered, but didn't offer to shake Isaac's hand, which he was glad about.  
  
"I am afraid we are caught up in a war with a bunch of evil abhorrations right now." He said acidly. "Generally speaking we would rather destroy all of creation than take the risk of losing to them. Or anyone else, for that matter."  
  
Isaac raised an eyebrow at that last comment, but Michael continued.  
  
"We must destroy Hell, Assasin-Isaac. Definitely. War is the only way to destroy Hell, even if there's nothing after it."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Hell is evil. Its stench will be unbearable soon. It may be unprofitable for all of us, but that price is nothing for the results. Besides, you're dead now, so it doesn't really matter to you."  
  
"I understand that." Isaac replied, his mind racing. They were starting a war that could destroy Earth in the process? His question could wait. This matter was more important. "Yet as you yourself said, a war between the two of you would benefit no one. Quite frankly the other people on Earth are not looking forward to being caught in the middle of it. You know, and by now Hell knows, too, that the disappearance of souls is not caused by either of you, but in fact by my gun. I could probably stop it somehow. There is no reason to go to war over this."  
  
"Isaac, I know, that is, of course, quite correct. I am afraid, though, that rationality does not rate highly in Heaven here. We are deathly afraid of losing their precious reservoir of souls, so we figure that now is as good a time for Armageddon as any other. The oldest cliche, you know? If I can't play, no one's gonna play."  
  
Isaac was busy thinking about Michael's tone of voice. No matter his talk about not wanting a war, there was some kind of mild desperation in his words. Outwardly he projected a calm, cool, and collected façade, but things were brewing behind it.  
  
The fact that they were talking about losing souls like that probably meant that both Heaven and Hell collected souls like a child did marbles, keeping them prisoner in vast holding devices. Heaven called it the Repository, Hell probably had a fancy name of their own for theirs. What he still didn't know, though, was why they did it. What did they need the souls for?  
  
"One would think that Heaven wouldn't mind losing souls as long as Hell or anyone else doesn't get them." He decided to voice his question in a roundabout way. He needed this information. He could maybe still act a little. "Why are you pushing for war when you know all the missing souls are moving towards Earth and then away?"  
  
A mildly surprised look appeared on Michael's face.  
  
"Why, Isaac, with all the information you seem to be able to process about matters beyond the Threshold, I thought you had already figured this one out."  
  
Studying the thing in front of him, Isaac wasn't sure how much of that surprise was an act. He didn't know if Michael knew about Kraden, or what his gun could do. He certainly didn't intend to give any of that information away.  
  
Isaac said nothing, just gave Michael an interested look.  
  
"To fill the gap in your knowledge," Michael said after a moment, "Hell minds losing souls for the same reason we do."  
  
Michael gestured and the room around them changed. A large picture window opened in the wall behind Michael, the wall sliding apart like an opening lid.  
  
Isaac couldn't help but flinch.  
  
He found himself looking out over a vast landscape, an infinite stretch of ugly desolation with no horizontal curve or any other visible sign that it would ever end. The sky above it was an angry crimson red, pulsing like a vat filled with living blood, mirrored by the numerous fires burning on the ground below.  
  
Sitting right in the middle of the picture was a giant monstrosity of a building. A huge structure that had sprung from a gothic nightmare, twisting up into the crimson sky in a vast mass of spikes, edges, and pulsing veins the size of skyscrapers, topped by an obsidian crown of thorns that seemed to branch out across the visible firmament.  
  
The belly of this beast rested on the ground, spread out over a base of at least a dozen square miles like a fat, well-fed parasite. It glowed from the inside, a glow that Isaac had seen too many of.  
  
Souls.  
  
"That is Hell's Tower of the Damned. Souls are power, Isaac." Michael said. "More power than you can even imagine. Why did you think every two-bit psyenergetic evil person tries its best to make stupid mortals consign their souls to it? Because it means power. Where do you think the source of Alchemy is? Soul power. Why do you think you were able to make a hole in the Sanctum? You are the key to everything. What do you think happens each time when you kill someone? They should go up here, but since you're the Key, they go into you, and you become stronger. It's a simple game, really. He with the most souls wins."  
  
Isaac looked at the obscene structure for a long time, before he shook his head. "That's all? That's what this is all about? A power play?"  
  
"A power play, yes." Michael shrugged. "Granted, it might seem simple to the casual observer, but I don't think you understand the scope, Key. We are not talking about the few thousand souls that streamed out immediately with the bullet hole. As I told you before, that's small change. We are talking about billions of souls, which represent a power you can not even imagine, or store, ever."  
  
Looking at the place where that power was contained Isaac knew the consequence of what Michael had just said. Knew the consequences of the things he himself had to do.  
  
If he restored the Threshold, if he managed to mend the tiny hole that linked the worlds and send all the souls back were they came from, they would give Michael, his angels, and Hell and its creatures that power once more.  
  
"Heaven will attack before our power runs dry," Michael continued, "and they will have to meet us in kind. There is no other way."  
  
"Why don't you kill me for power?"  
  
Michael laughed dryly. "If you haven't noticed, you're already dead, and anyways, I told you before, you are the Key to everything. With you, we can open anything. ANYTHING. You are valuable, if only a toy."  
  
This was making Isaac angry. He was *not* a pawn in any game! "Well, I want to go back to life first. Maybe I can mend the hole." Isaac said.  
  
"...Alright. You can do that. And I hope you do, Isaac." A sigh went through Michael's body. "They won't strike first. You have my word on that, however much it might be worth to you. We will attack them, though. You can count on that. It's in our nature." A sadistic smile lit up on Michael's face. "You better mend it before we create a *huge* war. Though I doubt you will."  
  
Isaac nodded, and started walking out, only now, the angels crossed their spears in front of him. He turned around, to demand what was happening here. Michael still had that sadistic smile on him, and he said, "Nu-uh. Said you *can* do that. Didn't say we'd let you. As I said, you're valuable, Key."  
  
The angels in the room all exploded into motion and leaped at Isaac with their swords drawn. He flipped out his gun and shot a couple rounds, then decided to save the rest of his bullets. He drew his katana out and jumped over one sword, blocking another with the katana. He sliced the katana through one angel's head, and was satisfied to find that the angels could be killed. Fighting with renewed strength, he used Carpet Bomb on the group to the left, and cast Annihilation on the stray angel trying to stab him in the side. The angel disintegrated into white dust. Quickly he ran out while the other angels were still recovering, with Michael barking out, "After him! After him!"  
  
He was well on his way out by then. It gave him time to think. He knew what he had to do.  
  
What would happen if he didn't made shivers run down his spine.  
  
These powers used human souls as so much fuel for their war machinery, reducing the essence of people to chips on a huge poker table. No matter that many of these souls might actually deserve the fate that befell them, it just wasn't right. That he should be forced to return them to this fate...  
  
Isaac shook his head. No sense in pondering things he could do nothing about. He had the world of the living to worry about right now, he needed all his strength to get back.  
  
He could recall reading in a book that there were other places. Better places. Isaac could but hope that the people he had lost during his soon-to- be-alive-again-life had somehow found their way there.  
  
Remembering that great dark building in Heaven, and the towering monstrosity in the heart of Hell, the alternative was unthinkable.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The Stars heard Mia's call. A favor, it could be said. For bringing the Dark back to them.  
  
She'd wished to bring Isaac back to life.  
  
They could not do that, for he was coming back already, but they could send her to be the first to see him, even if she'd have to find her way back out.  
  
She was getting a one-way ticket to damnation.  
  
  
  
And the story changes...  
  
Now, as you obviously see, Kraden didn't die. Right now though, he's not very important. Isaac and Mia(soon) got caught up in an ever bigger net of crazy events!  
  
Anyways, for the Thank Yous:  
  
Rouge-Of-Fortune: Meh. Sorry if it didn't go your way, but as you see, I found someone else to kill. ^^; Don't kill me!  
  
xT-Zealot: Kraden's not dead. Anyways, how's killing Kraden gonna make a worse ending?  
  
Dr. Roses: Yes, mass murder's really cool.  
  
Firestorm: What's *coff*?  
  
Helicopter Pilot: You wanna know a good story for CCS? New Trials of Syaoran and Sakura, Wish-Chan. Of course, the last time I checked it was a year ago, and it gets sorta boring after a while, but it's still one of the best CCS stories considering all the crap that's been piled up in the CCS section...  
  
Penguin Tamer: Surprise! Very strange chappy here...  
  
D.L.: Ya know, I said the same thing for Twilight Moon's Outta This Town poem, and he said the same thing about my poem, Darkness. Wow. Popular word, huh.  
  
Gen-Briefs: It's hard to make an identity-challenged Isaac. -_-; Even I'm not sure what he's supposed to be like anymore. His personality just sorta... spiraled out of control. Didja like the twist? Didja?  
  
Alayea: -_-; I didn't portray you in any way! I just answered your/my questions! And CCS means Cardcaptor Sakura by the way.  
  
Nips: Yeah, I need to find a way to put them in... I planned to put more of them in at the beginning, but somehow that changed...  
  
PaperCutVictim: Ah well. Wait, lemmee read that again... Are you stopping your GS story? Noooo!!! And it'd been only one chappy too!  
  
Ladida! Now that I'm done, I need to make up new events for this, cuz I really hadn't thought about killing Isaac until I had to decide whether to kill Kraden or not, and I thought, hey, why not kill Isaac?  
  
Garet: ;-; First, Kamui decides not to talk again after me getting a big bump on my head just so he would talk, and now you kill off my best friend?  
  
Kamui: Deal with it.  
  
'xactly. Anyways, he's coming back to life, so don't worry! BTW, I know this was really really confusing, but bear with me here, alright? If you can't understand, tell me and if I get at least two reviews saying it's confusing I'll try to explain better next chappy! 


	7. Epilogue

Dark Heart 

_A production by Tiger Dauthi_   
Epilogue 

"What should we do to him?"   
"Are you sure we should do anything at all?"   
"Perhaps not... But he failed."   
"He failed, broke his oath, and saved us from eternal death."   
"Eternal death..."   
"I think its time we let him go."   
"You never used to be this soft!" 

Rage. 

"I have learned."   
"You never used to be this weak." 

Confusion. 

"I cannot control what is beyond me."   
"You never used to be this downcast..." 

Sadness. 

"I know."   
"It's a lose-lose situation, isn't it? We either lose everything we'd fought for, tried to obtain, or else try to kill him, and die under his wrath."   
"You're a smart girl, Menardi." 

The two people sat together on the ledge, watching the sun set. Both seemed rather young and hip, blue spiked hair with a headband on one, blond hair with fire eyes on the other. No one knew how old, aged they were, how tired they felt. It was the problem of not being omnipotent... Luck had failed them by selecting the worst outcome... A simple mistake of sending the wrong assassin, and their cause was doomed... 

"What will happen to our homeland?"   
"It will fade away, I suppose. There's no Hell to sustain it anymore, no Tower to imprison them, and no portal to the world to bring it back."   
"How do you think they're doing?"   
"They must all be pretty happy, no more endless dread and boredom..."   
"What about us?"   
"We'll probably live for an eternity..."   
"Eternity..." 

The Assassin Clan was an ancient clan, hailing from a land that has been forgotten... The land was thrown into Hell of its own accord, the people in it having become too arrogant in their power to kill anything. Mortal, that is. They tried to take on Hell, with the noble idea of ridding the world of nightmares. 

Yet they had no idea of the power play between the dimensions, of the souls' power, of the fear that sustained. True, they did not fear. But those were the few, the ones who had reached the top rung. The rest were either still in training, still climbing the ladder, or simply villagers. Those majority felt fear. 

And so, when the Clan challenged the power of Hell, the overwhelming fear of the people created chaos in the ranks. The land succumbed easily to Hell. Only two of the top warriors escaped. The rest died fighting. 

These two, they recreated the Clan, training assassins to murder and steal. And during that period, they searched. Searched for a person, one who could surpass even them, one who would take on the Sanctum, one who would find the way to Hell and back... 

They found him. He was the Perfect Shadow. But only for himself. They didn't count on the outside circumstances, the emotions that could not be destroyed. And so he failed. And saved the world in the process. 

They realized that even had he suceeded, bringing their homeland back, the inhabitants would've long been encased somewhere, or else just shadows of their former selves. They didn't even want to think of what had become of the Assassins. Their homeland would've been destroyed shortly after anyway. 

Bitter. That only after all these years, these centuries that ticked by, did they realize that their cause was a futile one. Bitter.

* * *

"Well, you guys certainly must've had a good adventure."   
"You actually seem envious..."   
"But the origin of Alchemy! The chance to see the powers! And all those Adepts assembled there! Those Unknown, manipulating the light and dark! Hamma in leather!"   
"What?"   
"Er, I mean ham! If it exists in Heaven!"   
"I think we have a pervert here..."   
"What are you talking about? Ohh, had I the chance to go to Heaven! Even Hell would be fine!"   
"You seem to forget the fact that you have no psyenergy or even physical strength, and would be burned to cinders in a second."   
"Huh? Oh, that doesn't matter. Just the chance to see-"   
"Up Hamma's skirt?"   
"Yes! I mean, what? Those, er, what were those things you were fighting against?"   
"Angels. Demons. Kraden, you need to read up on some religion, even if it should be the exact opposite of science."   
"I do!"   
"With a porn magazine on top of the pages."   
"How do you kn-" 

At this point, Kraden just stopped speaking, finally realizing he'd save himself a lot of face if he just stopped talking. 

Silence reigned, rare in the household of the brilliant Alchemist known as Kraden. 

"All things are tied to psyenergy. It is what creates us. Binds us. The realm after psyenergy, or death, is an empty vacuum. Those souls, who drift away, recycle their psyenergy unto us, and then leave this place forever." 

"They are happy, I suppose. Heaven and Hell would've saved them for awhile, but eventually, the two dimensions would've assimilated all psyenergy in the world in their savage need. They are creatures too, who take and give, but their giving was stopped due to immortality." 

"Light psyenergy has existed for centuries, dark as well. It wasn't always this way. When there wasn't Heaven and Hell, when there was only man. Light and dark were concepts that were imagined into being." 

"In a way, psyenergy is imagined too. You drain yourself of psyenergy, you take the action, and you die. You imagine that no trees are there, you take the action to get rid of them; the psyenergy dissappears, it is gone, it is dead. You imagine life, you take the action, and it is there." 

"It is funny how man is able to control the very thing that binds it. Not to say that it does- we haven't reached that level of intelligence yet. But we have something so unique to us; we can THINK. That was not something that was contained in the package of psyenergy, but somehow wriggled its way in." 

"I believe that when we can manage to think outside of psyenergy, we are finally omnipotent." 

This was the reason why Kraden was so acclaimed. Just looking at him you wouldn't have thought this old kooky guy was so important, Isaac thought. 

"I'm confused..." Garet was whining. "How did Heaven and Hell get there then?" 

"Heaven and Hell were thought into existence." Kraden's eyes gleamed. "The person that did so, he had learned the great secret." 

"But Heaven and Hell were a bad thing." Stated plainly and obviously by Jenna. 

"Anything can be used for good or evil purposes." Kraden admonished. "And something like this, to wish things into existence, must be thought out very carefully. Heaven went terribly wrong, in that while it was supposed to counteract Hell, it became bloodthirsty for Hell." 

"But how amazing it is! Just think, there is also something else outside of psyenergy, that can penetrate it! There is so much that may be lying outside that we haven't yet discovered! Ohh, the possibilities!" 

"Kraden's gone into his insane mode again..." 

Laughter from all around. Isaac leaned back against the sofa and looked contentedly around the room, then at the blue-haired girl snuggled up against him. He stroked her hair softly, humming a tune to himself. 

I am the dark. Thinking to himself. Correction. I used to be the dark. And I helped destroy it, and the light. The blinding light. I learned in the process. 

The Key. The Key to the psyenergy, out of the psyenergy, was... love. Feelings. Kraden was wrong. It wasn't only about thought. Because without Raphael, without his feelings, they wouldn't have suceeded either. Because without Mia, without her love, he wouldn't have gotten anywhere. 

Very few people in the world are able to reach this love, this deep bond. Those that do, they may learn the way out of this world. 

This world, which one does not want to leave. Because of the feelings, the warmth that the world showers on one who loves with all heart. 

We may escape the psyenergy through love, but we do not want to, because of love. It was all very funny. 

It was better that way.

* * *

I realized, that too many things were left untied in my story, even the main characters. Their thoughts. Their changes. Some of them change visibly, but how, why? Menardi and Saturos don't get a reason why they suddenly help Isaac instead of beat him. Just fear and because he's the Key doesn't cut it if you want a good story. Instead, I had to try to give a good explanation.

That was when I realized that I can't cover it in just one Epilogue. This series wasn't even close to being done. I'd need more than double the chapters I have on now to fully complete the story. From the ancient land of Prox, to the time in between, to Hamma, Jenna, Kraden, all the other characters' background, to the origin of Heaven and Hell, to that mysterious disgusting figure who tries to kill Isaac, to how the Sol Sanctum got there; too many untied ends, too many. 

The background of the characters I really should do, and may add on at a later date, but as for the past of this story, it is lacking in motivation, devotion, and time. The only word I can give is perhaps. Perhaps. 

This epilogue will probably not seem full either, as it still has quite a few plotholes. Considering the fact that the story has gone stale and has almost flown out of my mind, and that I'm keeping this to one chapter, I think I did an acceptable attempt at tying up a lot of the ends, if loosely. 

I thank everyone who ever chanced upon this story and took their time to read it. And now, I say the real, final: 

The End


End file.
